Molded furniture



1966 A. MORRISON E AL 3,230,013

MOLDED FURNITURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 S INVENTORS 74/6006 GIAIYHKOS Jan. 18, 1966 A. 1. MORRISON ETAL 3,230,013

MOLDED FURNITURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 14, 1964 U N N l I m w n MM SAf Q Y United States Patent 3,230,013 MOLDED FURNITURE Andrew I. Morrison, 327 Washington Ave., Brooklyn 5,

This invention relates generally to furniture, and more particularly to articles of furniture constituted essentially by molded bodies of glass-based reinforced plastics.

Furniture of conventional desgin, whether in the form of a table, chair or couch, is made up of a useable surface, such as a seat or table top, which is supported on legs or a base. Traditionally, the elements which constitute a given article of furniture are fabricated of wood, metal or plastic, and the elements are then assembled together. Thus the structural characteristics of the article are determined not merely by the strnegth of the materials but also by the properties of the joints.

In recent years, with the advent of moldable plastics and plywoods, and the introduction of modern design concepts, attempts have been made to impart sculptural qualities to furniture where, for example, in a chair the seat, the side arms and the back rest all emerge from a unitary molded form. However, in many instances, the molded form must be reinforced by a frame, and in all cases the base or legs are separate elements which must be securely attached to the useable surface.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide articles of furniture constitutedessentially by bi-symmetrical molded forms wherein all of the elements of the article are integral with each other and emerge from the form itself.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide chairs, tables, couches and other articles of furniture, each of which is essentially constituted by a pair of matching molded forms fabricated of glass-based reinforced plastic material and requiring no additional frames, reinforcing rods or other means to buttress the structure. A significant feature of the invention is that the articles of furniture not only have the desired sculptural qualities, but they are exceptionally lightweight and strong.

Still another object of the invention is to provide articles of the above type which may be mass-produced efiiciently and at low cost.

Briefly stated, in an article of furniture in accordance with the invention, the article is comprised of a pair of matching molded forms, each including a leg section and a top section, the two sections being interconnected to produce a bi-symmetrical piece which, in itself, constitutes the article of furniture or which forms the main portion thereof. Thus the top section of the two forms may be shaped to form a bucket-seat, or the same forms may be joined together by an insert which acts effectively to extend the seat and thereby to convert the article into a couch.

The split piece, as above described, is joined by point connections, hence the halves only touch at these points and relative movement of the halves, as may occur when the piece is in use, does not result in an abrasive action. Moreover, the cleavage or split at the connecting halves provides water drainage. This feature is useful when the articles are put to outdoor use.

For a better understanding of the invention as well as other objects and further features thereof, reference is had to the following detailed description to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a side chair in accordance with the invention;

3,230,013 Patented Jan. 18, 1966 ice FIG. 2 is a plan view of said side chair;

FIG. 3 shows the side chair with the upholstery removed;

FIG. 4 is a side view of said side chair;

FIG. 5 shows the two halves of the side chair before they are connected together;

FIG. 6 is a section taken through the plane indicated by line 6-6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows in exploded view a bucket type of chair;

FIG. 8 illustrates a stool;

FIG. 9 shows a small table; and

FIG. 10 shows a couch.

Before considering the various embodiments of the invention, the basic materials involved in fabricating the articles of furniture disclosed, will first be discussed. As pointed out previously, the articles are all made of a moldable material having sufiicient strength to be self-supporting. For this purpose We prefer to use glass-based reinforced plastics, which are structural materials consisting of fiber-glass yarn, mat or cloth, bonded to a chemical resin, such as a resin of the polyester, epoxy, phenolic or thermoplastic family. In many instances, the resulting product is functionally superior to metals, alloys, woods, or plywoods. The advantages of glass-reinforced plastics over non-reinforced plastics are mechanical strength, impact resistance and dimensional stability. Most of these advantages, particularly strength, become more pronounced as the volume of glass reinforcement increases.

The choice of the molding process depends on the number of parts required and the sizes thereof. Among the available molding processes are matched die-molding, vacuum molding, compression molding, and transfer molding. The techniques used in making articles in accordance with the invention may be those already being practiced in the making of reinforced-glass boat bulls and automo bile bodies.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 6, which show a side chair in accordance with the invention, it will be seen that the chair is composed of a pair of molded parts A and B, A being the left side and B the right side, the parts being identical and reversed, whereby the structure is bisymmetrical.

Part A, as best seen in FIG. 5, is composed of half a bucket 10, the inner edge of the bucket having a wing 11 extending downwardly therefrom, which is bent to define two triangular leg sections 11a and 11b. The bucket formation is such that, as best seen in side view in FIG. 4, the upper end thereof provides a back rest, whereas the remainder effectively forms a concave seat. Part B is complementary with part A, and is constituted by a half bucket 10 and a wing 11 bent to form triangular leg sections 11a and 11b.

To hold the two bi-symmetrical parts A and B together, all that is necessary is to provide rivets 12 as shown separately in FIG. 6, which may take the form of pins having elastic heads which can be forced through connecting holes. Obviously, various forms of screw connections may also be used.- As best seen in'FIG. 4, only three connecting points are required, one being at the bottom of the midline between leg sections 11a and 11b, the second at the low side of the bucket 10, and the third at the high side thereof.

The bucket may be covered with any suitable upholstery material 13, such as a pile fabric or a fur-like material, whose rim overlies the rim of the bucket.

It will be appreciated that the bi-symmetrical construction is such that the entire .chair is formed by two simple molded parts, and that the load imposed by one sitting in the bucket is distributed :among the four leg sections. Hence despite the exceptional simplicity of this construcreceiving a separately molded rigid bucket D or a sling 1 seat, which may be. pinned or otherwise attached to the socket, or permitted to remain free, in which event the bucket angle may be shifted as desired within the socket.

vIn FIG. 8, a small seat is shown composed of bi-symmetrical molded 'parts E and F, each part having a horizontal seat portion 14 fro-m'which depends a wing bent to form leg sections 15a and 15b.

In FIG. 9, the same basic principle is used to form a small table composed of sections G and H, each section having a semi-circular top 16. p The couch shown in FIG. 10 is composed of the bisymmetrical molded parts A and B of the type shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, with a central insert I which converts the bucket formation into a. more extended couch seat. Since parts A and B are separated in this arrangement, the leg sections 11 and 11 are linked by a connecting piece 17. Thus the same basic bi-symmetrical parts with the auxiliary element I provide the necessary elements of the couch.

It will be noted that the molded halves in the articles shown in FIGS. 1-5 and FIG. 10 only make contact with each other at the points of connection, the parts otherwise curving away from each other. This provides a cleavage for water drainage when the article is used as outdoor furniture. It also serves to prevent a rubbing action between the two halves when the article is subjected to load stresses.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to reinforced fiber-glass, and other forms of laminated plastic material may be used, so long as the material is moldable and has adequate structural properties.

While there have been shown preferred embodiments of molded rfiurniture in accordance with the invention,

it will be appreciated that many changes and modifications may be made therein without, however, departing 4 from the essential spirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

What we claim is:

1. An article of furniture comprising a pair of matching bi-symmetrical, separately molded forms each including a leg section and a top section integral therewith, and means interconnecting said forms at a plurality of points to produce a bi-symmetrical article.

2. An article, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said forms are molded from glass-based reinforced plastic material.

3. An article of furnitureacomprising a pair of matching bi-symmetrical, separately molded iforms, each including a wing-shaped leg section and a top section integral therewith, and means interconnecting said forms at three points, said matching forms being contoured to touch each other only at said three points.

4. An article, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said top sections are shaped to define a bucket seat.

5. An article, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said top sections are shaped to define a bnrcekt seat.

6. An article as set forth in claim 3, wherein said top sections are shaped to define a socket, and further including a molded shell receivable-in said socket to form,

a sling seat therewith.

7. A bi-symmetrical article of furniture comprising a pair of matching bi-symmetrical, separately molded tonns, each form being fabricated 01f glass-based reinforced plastic material and including a wing-shaped leg. section and a top section integral therewith shaped to define a seat, a back rest and side .arm, and rivet means interconnecting said terms at a point at the top of said back and at a point at the back and .at the front of said seat, said matching forms being contoured to touch each other only at said points.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 194,498 2/1963 Miller 15 11 2,936,826 5/ 1960 Reineman 297.239 2,993,733 7/ 1961 Pinkham 297-454 3,082,037 3/ 1963 Anderson 297'-440 3,101,218 8/1963 Baermann 297-455 3,113,788 12/ 1963 Johnston 297-461 3,131,970 5/1964 McGregor 297-440 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE COMPRISING A PAIR OF MATCHING BI-SYMMETRICAL, SEPARATELY MOLDED FORMS EACH INCLUDING A LEG SECTION AND A TOP SECTION INTEGRAL THEREWITH, AND MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID FORMS AT A PLURALITY OF POINTS TO PRODUCE A BI-SYMMETRICAL ARTICLE. 